Well it’s
that time again. Time to put away the Christmas cookies and
fruitcake and ramp up the training again for the new season at hand. In
Dec., Jan. and Feb, this means the Base-
phase.

As a coach, one of
the biggest challenges I face is when (and how) to back athletes off to allow
their bodies to take advantage of the work they’ve put in. Rarely do I find
that I have to motivate people. Generally speaking, if their willing to pay me
to coach them……….they’re already motivated. However,
the Base-Phase is a time when just such a tempered approach is MOST
beneficial.

Here’s why.

First, let me give a comprehensive definition of training.

Training involves
sequencing periods of physical stress with periods of adequate recovery to
progressively prepare for a desired outcome. Stress and recovery ….. it’s that simple.And it must be “sport-specific” stress that will condition you to the
event that you’re training for.

How to view training: We (the TRImyCoach.com
coaches) view training as, not only what benefits one derives from the
training, but also what it COST to do so………..the COST is the
key. To improve, recovery must exceed one’s efforts in breaking one-self
down. Otherwise you’re over-training. Also, one must ask if the COST and
BENEFIT are specific to the goal at hand. (For example: a
4 hour training ride does little to benefit you if your goal of a
sprint-triathlon given the cost associated with recovering from such a
session. You could spend your efforts and time in a better, more specific way.)

We begin by defining these simple
philosophy because as we dive deeper into base-phase intensity, we’ll be
coming back to these principles.

The intensity that I specify in the Base-phase is based on
Dr. Phillip Maffetone’s philosophy of Maximum Aerobic Efficiency.
In other words, we’re searching for a heart-rate zone that be
as fast as you can train while STILL REMAINING AEROBIC. These last 3 words are
the key.

This is called the MAF zone. “MAF”
for Maximum Aerobic Function. The zone is calculated using a
respiratory-quotient formula rather than a ‘max-heart-rate’ or ‘Threshold
formula’. It’s been our experience that calculating off of these is like hitting
a moving target. You’re wrong as often as you are right.

I’ll only have an athlete exceed this MAF zone (other than
for fun, ‘motivating events’) after a complete base has been built. Generally,
this means 8-12 weeks. Know that the more complete your base is, the more good
will come from your race-specific, higher heart-rate training later on.

How to calculate YOUR
Maf heart-rate:

180 minus your age……..then: (fall into ONE category, only)

-subtract 10bpm if you’ve had a major illness in the past
year

-subtract 5bpm id you’re inactive

-add 0 if exercise for up to a year w/ no illness

-add 5bpm for training for 1-3
years and making measured progress

-add 5 to 10bpm if you’ve been training and racing very
competitively in your age-group.

Your maf zone ends at the point where you can no longer
carry on an uninterrupted conversation while training………..and begins 10 beats
below that point.

I’ll go into each in
later articles, but for now, know that intensively training ONE of these
systemscan actuallyDE-train the others. For example :…..track-intervals are great for
race-specific cardiovascular fitness. However, training like this can also
DE-train the metabolism and energy-delivery pathways….relying on less a % of
fat and more a % of limited glycogen (blood-sugar).

The key here is to let
the track-intervals be the ‘’icing’’ not the cake. The base-phase is the time
to ‘’bake the cake’’ by honing in on the EFFICIENCY (rather than a high ‘output’ ability) of each of
the above 4 systems.

Efficiency is all about
doing more with less. For a triathlete, I know that someone’s ready for higher
intensity work when their pace while swimming, cycling, or running has
increased while their heart-rate has stayed the same. We measure this in each
phase using a ‘’MAF test’’.

4-TOO much anaerobic stress
inhibits the aerobic metabolism by raising cortisol levels. Cortisol is a
catabolic (as opposed to an ‘anabolic’) hormone that negatively alters insulin
levels to rely on sugar USAGE instead of fat usage. Cortisol is a muscle
stripper by converting it to fuel as well.

Sure, there will be the
“January Champions” who’ll attempt to bait you into hammering that final 5 miles
home. Take a deep breath and know that your periodized approach will be better
over the long season ahead.

For more info on the
TRImyCoach.com training programs, you can log onto www.TRImyCoach.com .